2020-2021 / BIOL2034-1

Applied questions in biodiversity

Duration

20h Th

Number of credits

 Master in biology of organisms and ecology (120 ECTS)3 crédits 

Lecturer

Nicolas Magain

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

All year long, with partial in January

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

The course aims to shed a theoretical, current and contradictory light on certain issues related to nature conservation in Belgium and Europe. The themes tackled help to nourish students' reflection on the place of nature in our modern societies and the related conflicts. Critical reflection on nature conservation strategies and the theoretical approaches that underpin them will also be addressed.
Some examples of topics that can be addressed:
- hunting (game releases, feeding, management of a territory focused solely on game species, conflicts with naturalists, etc.)
- cohabitation with large carnivores or other mammals and birds such as beavers, otters, griffon vultures, etc.
- nature management practices: intervening or not in natural processes
- conserve nature within our social and economic activity spaces or outside.
- agriculture and biodiversity
- management of production and conservation forests See French text

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

The objective of this course is to encourage students' personal reflection on questions and issues related to biodiversity and the impact of this on the social and economic spheres.
At the end of the course, the student should be able to:
- Master the main concepts and questions relating to nature conservation in Europe and elsewhere in the world
- Develop a critical mind in relation to these questions and be able to provide your own personal reflection
- Use this reflection to make choices in terms of conservation priorities
- Understand the major current issues on the subject of biodiversity, both at the global and local scale 

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Useful pre-requisite for this course are
Perfectionnement naturaliste SSTG0046-1
Biologie de la conservation BIOL0810-2
The present course is complementary to the following course, and it is important to follow the two at the same time
Journées d'excursion sur les thématiques liées à la biodiversité [...] BIOL2035-1

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Depending on the number of students, the course can take several different forms: seminars organized as part of the course, meetings of reference persons, evening conferences, group work on a theme of your choice or a case study, etc.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Presence

Organisational adjustments related to the current health context

Recommended or required readings

Assessment methods and criteria

Below you will find information on the evaluation methods planned for in-person and remote exams as well as those planned for hybrid sessions. Depending on how the health crisis evolves, the chosen method will be communicated to you no later than one month before the start of the exam session.

Any session :

- In-person

oral exam

- Remote

oral exam

- If evaluation in "hybrid"

preferred remote


Additional information:

Developing a personal work in 5-10 pages on a concrete case of nature conservation in Western Europe, with an oral presentation of the work in front of the other students.
 
 
The work must include a description of the ecological interest of the conservation project, the inclusion of local partners, the implementation of the project and a personal critical analysis.
 
The work must build on concepts discussed during the excursions.

Work placement(s)

Organizational remarks

Contacts

Nicolas Magain nicolas.magain@uliege.be